9 Sanity savers for busy moms

Find out how to be a great parent to your children - from getting them a good education to keeping them healthy to making sure your kids feel loved and you have fun as a family! Get all the parenting advice you need and the answers you w...

Stress less, moms!

No one said that being a mom was going to be easy. Between working, housecleaning, cooking, carpooling and chauffeuring kids to multitudes of activities and events, things can get pretty hectic for most moms.

6

Get a good chiropractor

What is the most common physical complaint of moms? Low back pain. Studies show that chiropractic treatment can be more effective than hospital out-patient care for low back pain. Now, I realize that the image many of us get when thinking about getting a chiropractic adjustment is that of Madonna lying on a table having her neck whipped around in that Truth or Dare documentary of her Blind Ambition Tour, but I have become a firm believer in this alternative form of medicine.

I don't trust it to cure disease just yet, but in terms of helping my ever-aching back and neck, it's a godsend. According to Dr. Jennifer Wise, director of the Synergy Institute in Naperville, Illinois, "It has been my experience that integrating the arts of chiropractic and physical therapy in one setting benefits the patient, allowing them to achieve faster and more complete healing. As a chiropractor, I work to align the patient's skeletal structure, while our on-site physical therapist works with the patient's soft tissues to make the healing process occur more quickly. It is important to train the soft tissues to have memory and endurance so that postural correction is long lasting."

7

Keep a small wallet

All moms know that given the opportunity, they could fill a large duffel bag with supplies for a day away from home with their children. The key to not doing that (once you're truly beyond the "I have to take everything in the house with me" stage) is to ensure that your purse is not big enough to carry much more than the basic necessities. I make sure mine is only large enough to accommodate a wallet, cell phone, antibacterial gel and Snickers bar. Necessities, right? Same goes for wallets — buy a big one, and you're going to somehow acquire thirty credit cards and a variety of Starbucks cards and the like. Smaller wallet, less stress and less stuff — sounds like heaven.

8

Claim your quiet time

Joseph Campbell said, "You must have a certain hour of the day where you do not know what was in the morning paper — a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are, and what you might be." This time has become even more important in my daily routine than taking a shower (and many days, trust me, I do trade one for the other!). Life is a journey. Oftentimes, we feel as though we're lost and the map is missing somewhere under a big pile of toys. Who are we? What are we here for? What will we do with ourselves when our children actually leave the house one day?

Spending some spiritual quiet time each morning and/or evening is invaluable. It can keep you centered and focused, and remind you that there is something so much greater than you at work in your life.

Get a robot

Unfortunately, the most life-altering sanity-saver for busy moms has not yet been invented. I envision it as a robot of sorts that does everything from cleaning to cooking to dressing kids for school. One day, perhaps — for now, I'm sticking with low expectations and a chocolate bar.